Boy, 11, uses grandpa's 39-year-old rifle to shoot 22-point buck

"When I got older I decided I needed deer meat when my kids were growing up," Sheat recalled. "I bought a rifle and started hunting to put meat on our table." Fast-forward 39 years, and you'd find Kevin with his grandson, Kaden, 11, both of Lamar, Missouri, sitting in a pop-up blind on opening day of Missouri's youth hunt a few weeks ago. Cradled in Kaden's arms was grandpa's Remington Model 700 .243-caliber rifle — the same gun he had bought nearly four decades ago. What happened next got both of their hearts beating fast. "We saw a big deer coming across the neighbor's pasture, so I started grunting pretty aggressively and he came back our way," Kevin said. "He just happened to come by. I've got cameras back there but I've never seen him."

Young Kaden watched the deer through the rifle's scope. He has killed four deer before — his biggest an 8-point last year — but never had a chance at a buck this big. "I was very excited and shaky," Kaden recalled. "I was trying to find a comfortable spot for the rifle so I could kill it." When the buck stepped out, Kaden tried to get the gun on it but couldn’t hold steady enough to make a solid shot since he was so excited. That made his grandpa proud that the youngster wasn’t willing to shoot without feeling confident in his shot. They set a backpack up on a stool to help steady the rear of the gun and used a shooting stick on the front of the gun to help steady it.

Kaden squeezed the trigger; the buck bolted. "I felt like it was a really good shot," Kaden said. "It ran a ways and jumped a five-wire barbed wire fence. It took an hour and a half to find him." The deer didn't travel far, but it dropped in an area that was hard to see as the light faded. When they located the deer, both grandfather and grandson were surprised to see how big it was. The deer had 22 points and had a green antler score of 210 5/8. Kaden said the big buck will become a head mount for his bedroom or his family's living room. He helped skin and butcher the deer and looks forward to his mom cooking up some tasty venison tenderloins. Kaden said he didn't hunt on opening day of Missouri's fall firearms season last weekend. With that big buck in the freezer, he didn't need to.

"I'm done for the year," the youngster said. Kevin Sheat said he loves taking his grandson hunting, as does Kaden's dad, Kasey Sheat. "I've loved hunting for years and just want our youngsters to enjoy the things we enjoy, like seeing the wildlife, the turkeys and deer," he said. "That rifle that Kaden used is 39 years old and it's killed a lot of deer."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/boy-11-uses-grandpas-39-121613811.html

Way to go kid!

I'd kill to hunt with my grandpa again

Beautiful buck. And what great memories for both of them. These are the things grandpas dream of.

Great story, and beautiful buck. Congrats young man.

Kaden is grinning from ear to ear

Congrats to the young man

Nice deer for the young man!

Makes me feel old though... I shot my first buck last year with my dad's Remy in my tagline. Both of my boys shot their first with it as well. That rifle is at least 40, sure do hate it when things like this make you count the years and you realize how long ago it was!

Charlie

What a story and what a Buck. Congrats to both

X2

I've already gone here and left my comments for all the PETA people posting.

I know it is Missouri but that will be a tough buck to top for that young boy.
Next hunting trip Grandpa says Kaden look there is 160" 12 point buck over there, Kaden replies gotta pass gramps to small

Thanks for the reminder. I need to give them my daily dose.

Nice deer but a 39 year old rifle isn't very impressive. I have been carrying my 7mm Mag for more than 39 years and I have used a Springfield M1898 in 30-40 Krag that belonged to my great grandfather on more than one deer and that one goes back well past the century mark.

Always a one upper in the bunch

X2 .... on the one upper ... Just WOW

I used a sharp antler lashed to a stick that my great grandfather x84 used almost 9,000 years ago....top that!!

ps. have you killed a 210" 22 pointer with your special guns?

That's a great story

Awesome story and congrats to the young man. I saved this story for my 8 yr old to read on the way to playoff football tonight.

He never met my dad, his Papa who would've been 71 yesterday but passed away 12.5 years ago, but 2 of his cousins knew him and both killed their first deer with Papa's gun, a Rem. 700 in .243. Same gun my brother and I killed our first deer with. My son is on the small side and just isn't physically big enough for that gun but he's ready to shoot something so he's using an AR. That said, he knows that once he's big enough, he will kill a deer with Papa's gun, just like the rest of the boys in the family. Hopefully one day my brother's daughter and my daughter will get their chance as well. We don't know the age of the gun (very likely older than 39) but what makes it special is that his Papa killed every one of his deer with it, even the big 11 hanging in my gameroom that he's heard stories about.

+1 Those were the days!

I wish they would have included a photo of the rifle. It would have been nice to see how many war licks it picked up through the years.

Bravo! Bravo!

Congrats young man.

I have the same gun in 308, 42 years old. It has shown me lots of good times over the years, but no WT’s of that caliber.

Wow!

Bought two rifles in ‘77, Rem 700 in 308 & a Wby Mk V in 7 Wby. Critter tally is nearing the hundreds between the two.

How true.